1. Bear Grylls
The world famous adventurer has been very open about his beliefs and was recently filmed praying with President Obama. In an interview with Relevant he said of the moment he converted ‘I remember praying a simple prayer up a tree one evening and saying, “God, if you're like I knew you as a kid, would you be that friend again?” And it was no more complicated than that. And actually the amazing thing is that all God asks is that we sort of open the door and He'll do the rest.’ He told the Radio Times that faith in Jesus is the ‘strong backbone’ in his life, and the ‘glue’ that keeps his family together. The star of Born Survivor has also been an influential promoter of The Alpha Course.
2. Mary Berry
Great British Bake Off contestant Martha Collison isn’t the only Christian star of the popular series. Much adored judge Mary Berry is also a believer. Berry said her Christian faith was ‘tested’ when her 19 year old son William died in a car accident. Speaking in an interview with the Daily Mail, Berry said ‘William’s death changed me. Little things simply do not bother me any more. You have to count your blessings instead, and my life has been immensely blessed.’
3. David Suchet
The actor best known for his portrayal of Poirot came to Christ after reading Romans 8 in a hotel Bible. In an interview with Strand magazine he said, ‘I'm a Christian by faith. I like to think it sees me through a great deal of my life. I very much believe in the principles of Christianity and the principles of most religions, actually—that one has to abandon oneself to a higher good.’ The star is also vice president of The Bible Society. In 2014 he released the first full-length audio version of the NIV Bible spoken by a single British actor.
4. Fern Britton
Former This Morning presenter, Fern Britton describes herself as ‘an average Church of England Christian’. Britton recently revealed she struggled with her faith following three failed IVF attempts. In an interview with Press Association, she explained that her previously strong faith was shaken, adding ‘my faith's always sustained me through tough times like divorce and some of my bouts of black depression.’
5. Adrian Chiles
During Lent last year, Adrian Chiles decided to attend Mass at a different church each day. Writing about the experience for the BBC the former Match of the Day 2 presenter and co-host of The One Show said ‘It felt like it would be a real struggle - a penance. It turned out to be anything but. It was a rich and enriching experience …by Easter Sunday I'd been before 46 different priests in 46 different churches in 46 days’. He described the process as ‘rewarding and quietly intense’. Chiles became a Catholic nine years ago and recently presented a TV program My Mediterranean where he argued ‘religion actually does more good than harm’.
Click here to request a free copy of Premier Christianity magazine
